Made in Stoughton: Company still turning parts after 50 years

F.H. Peterson Machine Corp. has created prototypes and machinery parts for Polaroid, NASA and Disney World.

Susan B. King

STOUGHTON - Parts for space shuttles, submarines and theme park rides are just a few of the accomplishments of F.H. Peterson Machine Corp.

The company, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, was founded in 1957 by Floyd H. Peterson. It was originally based in Brockton, with six employees in a 5,000-square-foot building on Centre Street.

Four years later, the company needed more room for its quickly expanding operations and moved to its current location on South Street in Stoughton. Stanley Urban, the current CEO, bought the company in 1977 upon Peterson's retirement.

During the past 50 years, the company has grown almost ten-fold and has created prototypes and machinery parts for Polaroid, NASA and the submarine, nuclear and power generation industries, Urban said.

"There is not an industry in New England that we haven't touched," said Mark Merullo, sales manager.

Merullo said the company has a policy of not allowing any one customer to account for more than 25 percent of the business.

"Back in the day," Merullo said, "you could have a specialization and focus on one business and be very successful, but these days that would be deadly to a company."

Shop supervisor Dave Jewett said the company provides a service, not a product. F.H. Peterson only manufactures pieces of machinery and maintenance tools, not the final product, he said.

The company is often called upon for urgent repairs, such as parts for a cruise ship docked in East Boston and broken machinery at local manufacturers, because businesses are unwilling to wait for a part to be flown in from Japan or other overseas locations, Jewett said.

The company recently manufactured parts for one of Walt Disney World's newest attractions, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The cars that wind down the underwater track are held in place by parts made at the Stoughton company.

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